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Salou: Spanish hoteliers complain the costs of claims are rising


‘We can’t take our foot off the gas’ on bogus claims


TOUROPERATORS ARE TAKING A ‘MORE FORENSIC APPROACH’ TO SICKNESS CLAIMS. IAN TAYLOR REPORTS


Thomas Cook has a team of lawyers “forensically” reviewing holiday sickness claims as it seeks to drive down the number of fraudulent claims.


Rebecca White, Thomas Cook


senior legal counsel for litigation, said: “Thomas Cook’s experience reflects that of the entire industry. We saw a dramatic spike in gastric illness claims into last year. Abta data showed a significant surge.” White, who began working for Thomas Cook a year ago, said


80 travelweekly.co.uk 1 February 2018


industry efforts appear to be having an impact. She told a Hill Dickinson travel law seminar at the end of last year: “Levels [of claims] are going down and we take encouragement from that, but we’re cautious about it. We can’t afford to take our foot off the gas.” Abta launched a Stop Sickness


Scams consumer campaign last summer, with Travel Weekly promoting a Fight Fake Claims campaign in the industry. However, lawyers acting for


hotel insurers in Spain have claimed the costs of claims are rising as UK tour operators fight back (Travel Weekly, January 25). White revealed: “We forensically scrutinise every claim. “We have an inhouse team and


use external providers. If we think a claim is fraudulent, we won’t pay it. We would rather take our chances in court. “Ultimately, it comes to me and the Thomas Cook head of legal to decide whether we fight a claim or think it’s genuine. We’ll run a case if we don’t think it was the hotel and we don’t think the claimant can prove it was the hotel.”


CONTINUED ON PAGE 78


CLAIMS FIGHT


PICTURE: SHUTTERSTOCK


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